Putin vows ‘retribution’ following deadly Moscow concert hall shooting

Russian President Vladimir Putin has addressed the nation 19 hours after the deadly shooting at a Moscow concert venue on Friday night, branding it a “bloody terror attack” and vowing to “find and punish” all those involved.

In a televised message on Saturday afternoon, Putin expressed his condolences to the victims' families and declared Sunday a day of national mourning.

Putin said that all four “direct perpetrators” had been detained, adding that they had attempted to “flee in the direction of Ukraine” using what he called a “window” Ukraine had readied to “allow the terrorists to cross the border”.

“The terrorists will face retribution and oblivion. There is no future for them,” Putin said, adding that the Russian security services were still searching for remaining “terrorist accomplices”.

At least 115 people have now been confirmed dead in the shooting at a concert hall near Moscow in the deadliest terror attack in Russia in the last 20 years. Multiple armed men entered Crocus City Hall, a concert venue in the Moscow suburb of Krasnogorsk, opening fire at concert goers. A fire broke out on the upper floor of the venue, engulfing the building in flames as people tried to escape the shooters.